Innovative VS. Traditional: a framework to assess the sustainable trade-off of maintenance strategies

The European Union has the objective to make Europe the first zero-impact continent by 2050. The Green Deal has been issued specifically to encourage sustainable targets in the Architecture-Engineering-Construction-Operation (AECO) industry. Meanwhile, only 25% of the existing European building stock complies with the latest sustainability regulations. The environmental impact of real estate over the whole buildings’ life cycle highly depends on the Operation and Maintenance (O&M) phase. Sustainable performance can be highly improved thanks to appropriate facility management (FM). Thus, it is urgent to introduce more effective sustainable practices by FM organizations, which may be possible with innovative maintenance, namely through the aid of digital technologies such as PropTech (property-technology) solutions. However, punctual assessments of the degree to which PropTech increases the sustainability performance of O&M are still missing. The present study aims to overcome this gap by outlining a framework of sustainability performance indicators for maintenance activities. This will allow future assessment of the impact of traditional maintenance practices compared to innovative ones, therefore boosting the adoption of supportive technology. After defining the meaning of traditional and innovative building maintenance, the authors analysed the existing literature to collect a number of indicators suitable to assess the sustainable performance of maintenance activities. These indicators have been systematized based on the Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) assessment approach. A framework of 37 indicators was created, divided into five categories: environmental, social, economic, governance, and technical. A preliminary test for applicability of this conceptual framework to the activities included in the O&M phase was undertaken through discussion with an FM professional. The paper concludes by commenting on the future possible applications of this framework to evaluate the degree to which PropTech increases the sustainability of O&M, and, therefore, proves convenient to be adopted by FM companies.